Washing-machine



w. SARGENT. WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1919- Patented Nov. 23, 1920;

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* UNITED sTArs harem orrics. I

WILLIAM H. SARGENT, OF ST. LGUIS, IVIIS'SGUBI, ASSIGNOR TO WAYNE MANUFAC- TUBING COMPANY, GIT-ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 01? MISSOURI.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Eatent.

Application filed April 14, 1919. Serial No. 289,989.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVILLIAM'II. SARGENT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in /Vashing-h/Iachines, of which the .tub without involving the use of a permanent connection to the tub. In this way, the strains incidental to the forces employed 1n rocking the tub, are distributed. The in vention contemplates the employment of a rocking cradle which supports the tub, and one of my objects is to provide means for guarding the moving parts in the rocking movement, in such a way as would prevent a child from, having its fingers caught between the rocking cradle and its support; also to provide improved means for positively holding the cradle in its neutralposition, for giving the cradlean easy rocking movement, and for preventing a creeping movement of the cradle along the frame.

Further'objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the general combination of parts and in the features hereinafter described, all of which contribute to produce an eflicient washing machine.

A preferred embodiment of. my invention will beparticularly described in the following specification, while the broad scope of my inventionrwill be pointed out in the ap- L pended claims.

In the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention,

, Figure l is a side elevation of the wash- 1 ing machine;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation, certain parts being broken away, and shown in section.

'Referring more particularlyto the parts, 1 represents a frame which may be of any suitableconstruction, presenting a pair of oppositely disposed'ledges 2 which may be in the form of horizontal angle bars, the horizontal flange of which forms the ledge or support for the cradle 3. This cradle comprises a pair of rockers 4:, each of which is in the form of an elongated curved piate, the lower edge 5 of each rocker being curved Patented Nov. 23, 1e2o. I

so as to roll on the ledge and impart a rociring movement to the cradle when the cradle is oscillated. These rockers a have their upper edges 6 shaped so as to fit the bottom and ends of the tub 'Z. T he tub simply rests removably in place on the cradle, and extends longitudinally with the rockers t.

In order to prevent the tub from shifting laterally on the cradle, I form the tub with suitable means for engaging the rockers, and this-is preferably in the form of a flange 8 disposed at each side of the tub, see Fig. 2. These flanges extend over the upper edges of the rockers and prevent the tub from shifting laterally. r

I provide means also for preventing a itself at the middle part of the frame. For

this purpose, I provide interlocking means between the cradle and the support. To this end, I provide an upwardly extending guard 9. at each side of the frame which lies adjacent to the outer face of its corresponding rocker 4C, and each of these guards 1s 1nthe,

form of an elongated plate. On the middle or central plane of the machine I provide each rocker t with a projection or outwardly extending pin 10, and in each guardQ, I

provide a slot which may be of Y form, having two diverging branches 11, one of which guides the pin when the cradle rocks toward one end of the frame, and the other of which guidesthe pin when the cradle rocks toward the other end. This slot permits a perfectly free rocking movement of the cradle, but will evidently prevent any creeping movement of the cradle toward either end of the frame.

The guards also cover the contact point between the rockers and their supporting ledges, and n this way afford means for preventing the occurrence of an exposed crack between the lower edges 5 of the rockers,

and the frame duringthe rocking movement. For this purpose, the guards 9 are extendedup on the sides of the rockers, see Fig. 1, so that-in-anyposition of the rocking movement the rocker edges 5 of the roclrers will always be below the edge of the guard. Thiswill prevent any possibility of a child having its fingers caught under the cradle during the rocking movement.

In order to render the pin-and-slotcon nectlon (10 and 111) safe, I PIOVlClG a cover plate 12attached on the outer side'of each guard, see Fig. 1. Any suitable means'is supported on the frame for rocking the cradle. This mechanism includesan actuating part attached to the cradle toward one end thereof. F or this purpose, I prefer to provide a small. electric motor 13, see 1,, the driving belt 14 of which drives the shaft 15 SUPPOTQGCl at the other end of the frame, by passing over a suitable pulley 16, see 2. The shaft 15 is provided with a pinion 17 which drives the gear wheel 18 mounted on a countershaft 19. The frame is formed with a bearing 20 for a short shaft 21, which on one side of the bearing 20 carries a crank-disk 22 from which an actuating part in the form of a connecting rod 23 extends upwardly the upper end of the connecting rod being attached to a cross-bar 24 connecting the rockers 4. A. similar crossbar 25 is provided at the other end of the rockers. The cross-bars tie the rockers together to form the cradle.

I also provide the end of the shaft 19 with a clutch 26 which maybe openedwhen desired to prevent the rocking of the cradle.

Any suitable means may be provided for opening and closing this clutch. In the present instance, I provide a fork 26 which engagesa movable clutch-member 27 splined to the shaft 19. This fork is formed at the lower end of a vertical spindle 26 which is rotatably mounted in the end of the frame,

and provided at its upper end'with a lever 28 i for rotating it. 7

It may be desiredto employ a wringer as an accessory to the washing machine, for which reason, I provide the frame with an upward extension 29, the upper end of'which forms a seat for securing the wringer frame 30, see Fig. 1. In order to drive the wringer 31, I provide the end of the shaft 19 with a bevel gear 32 which meshes with a' similar bevel gear 33 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 34. The upper end of the shaft 34 carries two loose pinions 35 and 36, both of which engage a bevel gear wheel 37 on the shaft of the lower wringer roller 38. The adjacent ends of the pinions 35 and 36 are formed with clutch-faces 39, and on the shaft 34 between these pinions, I provide a sliding clutch-collar40. The clutch collar is splined on the shaft, from which arrangement it will be evident that when the sliding. clutch-member engages the clutch-face of the. upper pinion 36, the wringer will be driven in one direction, andwhen it en-. gages the clutch-face of the lower pinion 35,

" which carries a depending link 42 terminatbelow in a laterally extending fork enthe sliding clutch-member. The

along the face of a quadrant 43 provided with a depression 44 which may be engaged by a projection 44 on the bell cranlrlever to hold the sliding; clutch-collar in its neu- 'tral. position, or in either of its driving positions. The shafts of the two rollers 38 and 15 are provided with meshing gears 46 enabling the lower roller 38 to drive the upper roller 45.

In order to return the cradle to its neutral position when j moved in either direction therefrom during the rocking movement, I provide a spring; 47 at each SlClEhtlK-B upper end of each spring being attached to a bracket 48 secured on the inner face of each rocker, the lower end of the spring being attached to a bracket arm 49 which extends other of the. bell cranlr lever slides and hence they exert their pull at a point adjacent to the middle point of the rockers.

On this account there is a very substantial verticalcomponent of the movement of the point of attachment of the end of the spring. For this reason a considerable extension of the spring begins to occur immediately that the rockers move away from the neutral point; hence the tension in the springs onerates very positively to hold the rockers in the neutral position.

It will be evident that by reason of the elongated form of the tub, together with the fact that the tub exends longitudinally with the rockers. the tub and cradle tend by gravity to stop in an extreme position with one end elevated and the other end 'depressed. This natural tendency is aggravated by, the weight of the actuating part such as the connecting rod 23 which must be attached toward the end of the cradle in order to produce the rocking movement. The springs 47 are constantly in tension and overcome this tendency, and they operate,

as,stated, to return the cradle and tub to the neutral position when moved in either direction therefrom. and at the same time they act to counterbalance. the weight of the connecting rod 23 and prevent the crank dislz from stopping on a dead center.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i i i w 1. In a washing machine, the combination of a frame having a pair of oppositely disposed supporting ledges, a cradle having rockers supported on said ledges, a guard disposed adjacent the outer face of each rocker and covering the point of contact between each rocker and its corresponding ledge in any position the cradle may assume, interlocking means between the rockers and said guards to prevent the cradle from creeping toward either end of the frame, an elongated tub removably supported in said cradle and extending lon itudinally with said rockers, a motor, and a shaft driven thereby a crank-disk on said shaft, a con necting rod connecting said crank-disk with said cradle toward one end of the cradle, for rocking the cradle and the tub, and a spring attached to the cradle near its middle point so as to be extended when said cradle is rocked in either direction from its neutral position, operating to hold the cradle in its neutral position and preventing the cradle from stopping in an extreme position with the crank-disk on 1ts dead center.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame having a pair of oppositely disposed supporting ledges, a cradle having rockers supported on said ledges, a tub received in said cradle and having means on the sides thereof for engaging said cradle to prevent lateral movement of said tub on said cradle, a guard disposed adjacent the side face of each rocker, interlocking means between said rockers and said guards to prevent said cradle from creeping progressively toward either end of said frame, means for rocking said cradle, and a spring exerting a downward pull on the rocker at a point adjacent to the lower edge and middle point of the rocker for returning said cradle toward its neutral position during the rocking movement.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM H. SARGENT. 

